The 19th Annual Women's Health and Cancer Conference

Conference Agenda

Session Two: 10:00-10:50 AM

1: Cancer Immunology: Research to Harness
the Body’s Power in Fighting CancerDavid Krag, MD*

How can the body’s immune system help to fight cancer? The field of immunology seeks to answer that question. This session will detail ongoing immunology research and provide insight as to how what happens in labs today can translate into treatments for tomorrow.

2: Sex After Cancer: Finding Your Sexuality and Intimacy After a Diagnosis

A cancer diagnosis of any type sends shockwaves through every aspect of a person’s life, including the areas of intimacy and sexuality. This session will offer insight into this rarely-discussed area and provide ways in which patients, loved ones, and providers can open communication and help a person reclaim
their intimacy.

3: Cancer and Weight Gain: How a Healthy
Weight Can Improve Your Chances

If you’ve gained weight since your cancer diagnosis, you aren’t alone. Unfortunately, survivors who are overweight are more likely than trimmer survivors to have their cancer recur. This session will explain the whys and hows of weight gain during treatment and provide you with ways that you can improve your odds while helping to prevent other illnesses.

Knowing your risk of hereditary cancer can make a major difference in your life. This session will review the features of inherited cancers that impact women and explain who might be a candidate for referral for cancer risk assessment, genetic counseling, and genetic testing. This will include a discussion of what happens during a genetic counseling session and the risks, benefits, and limitations of genetic testing.

5: PROVIDER TRACK: Talking to Your Patients About Family Planning After a Cancer Diagnosis

Cancer can affect many things in a person’s life, including the ability to plan a family. Despite this, many patients overestimate their fertility and do not realize this issue might exist for them. This session will discuss the facts behind fertility and cancer and provide suggestions in discussing this topic with patients and their loved ones. This session is specifically geared toward primary care providers and other health care professionals.

More than 22,000 women receive a diagnosis of ovarian cancer every year, but early detection can keep many of these cancers from becoming fatal. This session will examine the screening tests that are available for ovarian cancer. It will also provide a review about patient risk levels and when a patient and her physician should discuss screening.

7: How to Get Ready for Difficult Conversations

Bernard Bandman, PhD and Celia Bandman

Most of us are not prepared to talk about prognosis, risks, and benefits of treatment options and quality of life considerations. This session, presented by Speak Sooner, will explore the difficult conversations that face patients and loved ones after a cancer diagnosis. It will discuss how patients can take the lead in opening honest conversations about medical, psychological, and spiritual issues that can influence decisions about care.

How can physical contact and gentle touch help relieve the symptoms of cancer and cancer treatment? This session will explore the Touch, Caring, and Cancer program at the University of Vermont Medical Center, which provides safe touch techniques for this exact goal. Participants will get an opportunity to see some of these techniques in practice during the session.

9: Cancer of the Head and Neck: Prevention, Survivorship, and Beyond (a panel discussion)

The head and neck can host many forms of cancer, and the more you know about them the more empowered you become. This session will discuss the common cancers of the head and neck, including their detection, prevention, and the challenges faced during and after treatment.

Meditation and mindfulness are two resources that can help patients during cancer recovery. This session will introduce mindfulness tools that ease stress and anxiety while encouraging calmness and well-being. It will also discuss the scientific evidence behind the effectiveness of mindfulness in cancer recovery. Attendees will be invited to join in some brief mindfulness exercises.

Representatives from Champlain Valley Dispensary will give an overview of the Vermont State Medical Marijuana for Symptom Relief Program including: how to engage with your health care provider, how to register as a patient, dispensary products - including non-euphoric CBD, home cultivation and more.